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WS Lights Up The Desert, Gives One Pax A Happy Surprise

Open Jaw

15.05.17

WestJet earned two Guinness world records last week after building and illuminating a kilometer-wide wheel in the Utah desert that displayed the seat number of a prize-winning pax on an LAS flight from YYZ.

On board, one lucky guest received the ‘Vegas trip-of-a-lifetime’ when their seat number appeared on the giant LED wheel, viewed clearly from 12,000 feet.

"WestJet turned 21 this year and as the international airline that brings the most guests to Las Vegas, we celebrated by lighting up the desert," said Rob Daintree, Director of Marketing.

"Inspired by the brilliance, energy and wonderful experiences Las Vegas provides, we created a unique event for our guests by flying over a radiant prize wheel. This experience had us successfully break two Guinness World Records; one for the 'greatest light output in a projected image' and one for the 'largest circular projection."

Guinness World Records Adjudicator, Michael Empric, said, "It was a huge and arduous undertaking that went into creating something really big, really bright and really special for the airline's guests. I'm delighted to welcome WestJet to the Guinness World Records family.

What exactly goes in to record-breaking version of a gaming wheel? Here's the breakdown: six months of planning, 40 crew members, six days of building in scorching heat, 61,483 feet of cable, 160 guests on their way to Las Vegas and one lucky seat, the recipient of the #WestJetVegasSurprise.

In the end the LED wheel was seen on descent into Las Vegas at 12,000 feet. The wheel was 785,398 square metres in diameter and reached 4,666,000 lumens – breaking the previous record of 4,264,346 lumens.

The lucky recipient of the #WestJetVegasSurprise got some nice gifts:

·$2500 USD shopping spree at The Forum Shops at Caesars in honor of its 25th anniversary

·VIP Table at JEWEL Nightclub at ARIA Resort & Casino

·Complimentary brunch at Herringbone at ARIA Resort & Casino

·Future stay and pool cabana at Flamingo Las Vegas

·Complimentary dinner for two at STK at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

·2 VIP tickets to Blue Man Group with back stage meet and greet at Luxor Hotel & Casino

All pax on the flight received discounted tickets to Cirque du Soleil shows, complementary cocktails from STK at The Cosmopolitan, and $25 gift cards for the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.